A new ranking of the top 500 most influential solar companies in the country has ranked 11 Massachusetts companies, with MetroWest area companies among those leading the way for the state.
The 2015 ranking from Solar Power World ranked companies based on the number of megawatts a company was involved with installing in 2014. The top companies on the list were from such sun-loving states as Arizona, California and Nevada. The leading company — First Solar Inc. out of Tempe, Ariz. — installed over 1,000 megawatts of solar in 2014.
The Central Massachusetts companies that made the list are:
| Company | Overall Rank | City | Employees | Total MW in 2014 |
| Solect Energy | 84 | Hopkinton | 34 | 8,900 |
| SolarFlair Energy | 111 | Ashland | 45 | 5,780 |
| New England Clean Energy | 301 | Hudson | 21 | .894 |
| Brightstar Solar | 400 | Marlborough | 8 | .356 |
Massachusetts ranked fourth nationally in 2014 for installed solar electric capacity at 308 MW. There are 377 solar companies employing 9,400 people across the state, according to Solar Power World.
